Written and Directed by Salford born film maker Simon Powell, Girl Shaped Love Drug is a modern day love story, set in Manchester, about how coincidences bring two strangers together and take them on an eventful and beautiful life changing adventure, in just one day.

The film stars Sacha Dhawan (who recently starred opposite Will Smith in the film 'After Earth' to be released June 2013), Dean Andrews (Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars, Last Tango in Halifax), theatre star Rachel Austin and features music from David Bowie, The Eels, De Votchka and Puressence.

An Independent Success Story

Girl Shaped Love Drug (made with a budget of just £35,000) premiered to a sell-out audience of over 400 people at the Greater Manchester Film Festival in October 2012 and since then has been getting rave reviews and media attention. 

Times Literary supplement writer Gabriella Swerling notes that "...Simon Powell has created a quiet and tender love story that exposes the brutal scars of its characters as they fall victim to reality.  Its beauty lies in the playful and naturalistic script, the unwritten words that instruct looks that linger too long, and eyes that have seen too much pain to trust. It is up to the audience to imagine the back stories of these characters. How did they get here? How did they escape? Why are they pretending to cope?..."

I'm so proud of what we've achieved with this project..." says Simon Powell (the film's writer and director), "this is film is loosely based on my own real life experiences, and it makes me so happy that people around the world are connecting to the story.
 

Vikas Shah, the film's executive producer adds:

...Girl Shaped Love Drug is really special.  The film is simple, beautiful, charming and dark all at the same time and reflects love in the real-world.

A Major Coup for Independent Film

Now in its 23rd year, CINEQUEST (Feb 26th - March 10th 2013) is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals, with over 95,000 people in attendance, over 190 hand selected films from over 48 countries and board members including Steve Wozniak (Co-Founder of Apple).  The 13-day festival receives heavyweight guests including JJ Abrams, Alec Baldwin, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Gus Van Sant, looks for the latest in film-making talent, and has become renowned as the place studio professionals come to find the next big thing. 

Girl Shaped Love Drug was chosen from over 2,000 films submitted to the festival to be screened as part of the CINEQUEST official selection.
 

Director of Programming, Michael Rabehl comments on Girl Shaped Love Drug: "I am particularly honored to be a part of helping to bring Girl Shaped Love Drug to the Cinequest audiences, as it truly is a courageous and unique love story that had me completely enthralled from the moment I started watching, and engaged me with its intelligence and humor until the end. I can't wait to hear the audience reaction to this imaginative and provocative film."

Girl Shaped Love Drug invited to host US Premiere in March 2013 at CINEQUEST in San Jose, California. shar.es/CI58X @mcrgossip

— Manchester Gossip (@McrGossip) January 31, 2013

www.girlshapedlovedrug.com